Bar-type supporting structure for forming a frame, comprising a plurality of nodes and bars connecting the nodes

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a bar-type supporting structure for forming a frame, comprising a plurality of nodes and bars connecting the nodes, wherein each bar comprises at least one recess extending in the longitudinal direction of the bar, wherein the respective recess continues right into the node.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a non-provisional application claiming priority from International Patent Application No. PCT/DE2007/001338, filed Jul. 28, 2007, and German Patent Application No. 10 2006 036 988.2-25, filed Aug. 8, 2006, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to a bar-type supporting structure for forming a frame, comprising several nodes and bars connecting said nodes.

BACKGROUND OF RELATED ART

Bar-type supporting structures are known in the field of house framing technique for example. Framings are usually made from wood or metal. However concrete supporting structures as described herein above are known also, the discrete concrete beams converging in the region of the nodes and being provided with armours for increased strength.

The cross sections of such type bar-type supporting structures are often right-angled or square, in the event of a building having a metal framing, the cross sections of the metal cuts or of the beams are in particular formed as angled struts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the node of a bar-type supporting structure having three socket elements for connection with a respective one of the bars.

FIG. 2 shows another view of the node shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a cuboid bar-type supporting structure the interior of which is filled with a fill material.

FIG. 3 a shows the connection of bars through a sleeve.

FIG. 4 shows a cuboid bar-type supporting structure with elastically suspended hollow bodies as part of a building.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description of the disclosed embodiment is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the precise form or forms detailed herein. Instead the following description is intended to be illustrative of the principles of the invention so that others may follow its teachings.

Through calculations it has now been found out that the strength of a bar-type supporting structure for forming an either bi- or three-dimensional frame may be achieved by providing such a bar-type supporting structure with nodes, each bar comprising at least one flute extending in the longitudinal direction of the bar, a respective one of said flutes extending as far as into the node. A flute is understood to refer to an arcuate recess extending in the longitudinal direction. As already discussed, it became possible to substantially increase the carrying capacity of such a bar-type supporting framework of the type mentioned herein above, using such a flute. An increase could be noticed in particular when two such type flutes, which extend respectively parallel to each other, determine the bar-type supporting structure, i.e., each individual bar as well. The advantage is not only that stability is increased over that of a solid bar having for example a rectangular or a square cross section, but also that it is of a more slender and delicate construction.

Such a possibility opens up in particular if this bar-type supporting structure is made from concrete, more specifically from a high-strength concrete, as it is described in the document DE 103 32 491 A1. In principle however, there is nothing to argue against such a bar-type supporting structure made from other materials, in particular from steel or plastic material, in the shape described herein above. In this context, it has been found out that the inner frame of a washing machine e.g., may also be manufactured with such a bar-type supporting structure made from such a high-strength concrete. The advantage of using concrete over steel today is in particular that steel is much more expensive than concrete.

According to a particular feature of the invention, the node comprises at least two socket elements for receiving a respective one of the bars. As a result, a bar-type supporting structure may be manufactured in almost any size, so-to-say in modular fashion from prefabricated parts. By arranging a socket element and by forming the end of the bar accordingly, one obtains a shape-mating connection in two directions in space, which serves to increase the registration fit on the one side and the strength on the other side.

According to another advantageous feature of the invention, there is provided that the socket element of the node comprises a notch, the bar comprising at its end a shoe conforming to the shape of said notch, said bar being adapted for connection with the socket element in the region of the notch, said connection being more specifically a material-to-material bond such as by gluing with an epoxy resin. In cross section, the notch is hereby configured in the fashion of a scalene trapezoid, said notch being configured to slope downward according to the extension of the two parallel flutes, which are substantially of the same size by surface area.

According to a particular feature, there is provided that the bar-type supporting structure is cuboid in shape. Such a bar-type supporting structure may then act like a modular component insofar as buildings may be built with such a cuboid bar-type supporting structure because the hollow space of the cuboid bar-type supporting structure is advantageously filled with a fill material that is different from the material of the supporting structure itself, which is made from steel. In this context, a heat-insulating and/or sound insulating and/or heat storing material may find use as the fill material for example. The use of polystyrene or of any other foamed materials may be particularly envisaged in order to achieve high heat insulation in particular. The use of such type cuboid bar-type supporting structures for erecting buildings is of particular interest on the background of the possibility arising therefrom, which is that lines for the house installation may be laid through the open side surfaces. Such type openings for feeding such installation lines therethrough, which have for example polystyrene as the fill material, are extremely simple and, as a result thereof, at low cost to manufacture because they hardly require any additional labour expense. This is completely contrary to conventional modular components in which channels for accommodating installation lines need substantially always to be cut. The fill material itself needs not perform any carrying function since, if the bar-type supporting structure is made from concrete—in particular from high-strength concrete as in the present case—the carrying function is performed by this cuboid bar-type supporting structure.

According to another feature of the invention, several parallel bars comprise a disconnection point at which the bars are joined together via an intermediate member exhibiting low heat conductivity. When erecting buildings, one is always confronted with the problem of keeping as low as possible the heat transport between the inner and the outer side of the wall. Since concrete is known to have good heat conducting properties there is provided to divide the bars of the cuboid bar-type supporting structure which extend transverse to the plane of the wall and to provide them, in the region where they have been divided, with an intermediate member made from a heat insulating material in order to thus avoid a heat bridge.

In accordance with another feature, there is further provided that the cuboid bar-type supporting structure, which is provided with the fill material, comprises a vapour retarder or a vapour barrier or a foil adapting to humidity on one side in order to reduce or avoid water vapour diffusion.

As already discussed herein above, there is provided, in accordance with a particular feature, that the bar-type supporting structure is cuboid in shape. In this context, there may be provided in particular, in accordance with another feature of the invention, that such a cuboid bar-type supporting structure receives in an elastic and resilient manner a hollow body in all the three directions in space. The background is as follows: As a component part, the bar-type supporting structure, which is cuboid in shape, may have a size that makes it capable of receiving hollow bodies in the shape of rooms in a building. Several such type cuboid bar-type supporting structures may be placed behind each other or on top of each other to erect a building, each of these cuboids receiving in all the three directions in space, in an elastic resilient manner, such a hollow body in the form of a room in a building through a spring-damper system. The advantage of this configuration is that such a construction is earthquake safe. The reason therefor is that the rigid building parts, which are caused to oscillate under the impact of ground motion, have quite a small mass and that the elastically suspended hollow bodies partially accommodate the oscillations of the rigid building parts. This applies when the frequency of the excitations and the dampening of frame and hollow body are tuned. It is obvious therefrom that, if a plurality of such cuboids forming a building is caused to oscillate under the impact of ground motion, the various damping properties of the spring-damper system substantially prevent the thus erected building from getting to oscillate ever more.

There is more specifically provided that a spring-damper system is disposed in the center of each node. The reason therefor is that the bar-type supporting structure has its highest stability there. In order to accommodate the spring-damper system, there is further provided that the bar-type supporting structure comprises reception elements such as in the form of eyes. There is in particular provided that the reception elements are disposed in the region of the central flute line. It may also be envisaged to dispose bushings for placing or screwing the spring-damper system therein.

The node 1 shown in the FIGS. 1 and 2 has three socket elements 2, 3 and 4 which, in principle, are identical in shape and which, merging into each other, form the node 1. The bars received by the node 1 are indicated at 10. Such a bar 10 comprises two flutes 11 and 12, which extend parallel to each other, said flutes 11 and 12 communicating with each other through a flute line 13. The height h₁ of the flute line related to the flank 14 is about ⅔ of the height of the flank 15. For the rest, the flutes 11 and 12 are substantially identical. This means that the width x₁ of the flute 11 is equal to the width x₂ of flute 12.

It also becomes apparent from FIG. 1 that such a bar has a shoe 20 the shape of which corresponds to the recess 8 in the socket element 2 through 4 of the node 1, i.e., that this shoe is configured in the fashion of a scalene trapezoid in cross section. Related to the flutes 11 and 12, the node is configured exactly like the bar 10. What matters is that the flutes 11 a and 12 a merge into the node 1, starting from the socket elements 2, 3 and 4, as this can be clearly seen in FIG. 1 but also in FIG. 2.

The stability of a bar-type supporting structure configured in this way may be increased over that of a bar-type supporting structure comprising additional elements and bars having a rectangular or square cross section thanks to the arcuate shape of the flutes, in a way similar to that of the arch of a bridge or of a building. This applies in particular to the shape of the node, which is given an arch-like configuration by the region enclosed by the socket elements, so that the stability is increased over that of a pure rectangular shape.

The invention is also directed to a cuboid bar-type supporting structure as shown in FIG. 3. In principle, this cuboid bar-type supporting structure is a three-dimensional frame. The volume inside the frame is filled with a fill material such as polystyrene. If one imagines a wall erected from such type cuboid bar-type supporting structures, it appears that the cuboid bar-type supporting structure formed from nodes 1 and bars 10 moreover comprises bars 10 a that extend transverse to the surface area and that comprise a disconnection point 50. In the region of this disconnection point, the bars 10a are joined together by an intermediate member 55 exhibiting low heat conductivity. This intermediate member, which exhibits low heat conductivity, ensures that no heat bridge forms between the inner and the outer side of the wall through the bars 10 of the cuboid bar-type supporting structure. The intermediate member 55 may hereby be a sleeve made from a material exhibiting low heat conductivity, this sleeve-shaped intermediate piece being adapted to pluggingly receive the bars 10 a. To increase stability and to reduce heat conductivity, the sleeve may comprise a buffer 55 a made from solid material, which is located approximately in the center thereof (FIG. 3 a).

In the interior of the cuboid bar-type supporting structure there is located the fill material 56 such as a polystyrene. The cuboid bar-type supporting structure, the bars and nodes of which are made in particular from concrete, and in the instant case more specifically from high-strength concrete, comprises openings on all sides. Such type cuboid bar-type supporting structures are used for guiding installation lines, in particular such for gas, water, electricity, through the interior of such type cuboid bar-type supporting structures through the fill material. Since the fill material, preferably polystyrene, is easy to machine, such type supply lines are now quite easy and, as a result thereof, also at low cost to feed through.

In accordance with another feature of the invention there is provided that on one side of this cuboid bar-type supporting structure there is disposed a vapour retarder, a vapour barrier or a foil adapting to humidity.

The cuboid bar-type supporting structure shown in FIG. 4 incorporates several nodes 1, which communicate with each other through bars 10. In the region of the nodes 1 there are disposed spring-damper systems 100, which dampingly and elastically movably receive the hollow body indicated at 120 in all three directions in space. An entire building may be erected from such cuboid bar-type supporting structures as shown in FIG. 4, several such type cuboid bar-type supporting structures being disposed in a side-by-side relationship and/or on top of each other and being joined together if the discrete cuboid bar-type supporting structures receive hollow bodies 120 which are configured to be living spaces. In particular if the dampers of the spring-damper system 100 of a bar-type supporting structure have differing damping characteristics, there is no risk that the hollow bodies, which are carried in an elastic resilient manner in the cuboid bar-type supporting structure, start to oscillate ever stronger under the impact of possible resonances in the event of ground motions such as those resulting from an earthquake. Instead, it may be envisaged that, if the damping characteristic line of the various systems of every single cuboid bar-type supporting structure are well chosen, the oscillations occurring in the building erected therefrom balance themselves out at least partially since they mutually cancel each other in parts. It must be taken into account that the mass and the spring characteristic determine the resonance frequency and that the damper of such a system determines the oscillation path in a frequency range.

Although certain example methods and apparatus have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents. 

1. A bar-type supporting structure for forming a frame comprising: a plurality of nodes; at least one bar connecting said nodes, each bar comprising at least one flute extending in the longitudinal direction of said bar, a respective one of said flutes extending into said node.
 2. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of the nodes comprises at least two socket elements to receive one bar each.
 3. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 2, wherein the socket element of the node comprises a recess, the bar comprising at its end a shoe conforming to the shape of said recess, said shoe being connectable with said socket element in the region of said recess
 4. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 3, wherein the shoe is connectable with said socket element by a material-to-material bond.
 5. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 4, wherein the material-to-material bond is glue.
 6. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 2, wherein the recess is configured in the fashion of a scalene trapezoid in cross section.
 7. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bar comprises two flutes extending parallel to each other, and a central flute line extending between said two flutes.
 8. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein the flute results in a flute line which is of lesser height than the side flank of the bar.
 9. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 8, wherein the height of the flute line is approximately two-thirds the height of the side flank of the bar.
 10. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein the flutes are substnatially identical in size.
 11. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bar-type supporting structure is configured to be cuboid.
 12. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 11, wherein the frame is filled with a fill material inside the cuboid bar-type supporting structure.
 13. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 12, wherein the fill material is different from the material of said bar-type supporting structure.
 14. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 12, wherein the fill material is at least one of a heat insulating, a sound insulating, or a heat storing material.
 15. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 12, wherein at least one side of the cuboid bar-type supporting structure comprises at least one of a vapor retarder, a vapor barrier, or a foil adapting to humidity.
 16. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 11, further comprising a plurality of bar portions, which extend parallel to each other and comprise a disconnection point, wherein the bar portions are joined together at said disconnection point by an intermediate member.
 17. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 16, wherein the intermediate member exhibits low heat conducting properties.
 18. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cuboid bar-type supporting structure receives a hollow body in an elastic resilient manner in all the three directions in space.
 19. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 18, wherein the cuboid bar-type supporting structure comprises a spring/damper system from which the hollow body is suspended.
 20. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 19, wherein the spring/damper system is disposed in the center of the node.
 21. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 19, wherein the bar-type supporting structure comprises receiving elements for receiving the spring/damper system.
 22. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 21, wherein the receiving elements are disposed in the region of the central flute line.
 23. A bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 19, wherein the spring/damper system is adjustable in its damping characteristics.
 24. The bar-type supporting structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein both the bars and the nodes are made from concrete. 